Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your ICHAT file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert ICHAT to another file type
To convert ICHAT chat logs to another format, you need Apple Messages or other Data software.
Convert a file to ICHAT
To convert other file formats to the "Chat Log File" file type, you need software like Apple Messages or a similar tool.
About ICHAT files
The .ICHAT file is a chat history log generated by Apple Messages (formerly known as iChat). These files archive instant messaging conversations, including text, timestamps, and references to attachments. Under the hood, modern .ICHAT files are usually formatted as Apple Property Lists (plist), while older versions rely on legacy Mac2OSX encodings. Users frequently need to convert these files because they are heavily restricted to the Apple ecosystem. You cannot natively open an .ICHAT file on a Windows PC, an Android device, or a standard web browser without specialized software. This proprietary lock-in makes sharing legal records, archiving family conversations, or viewing old logs extremely frustrating if you no longer own a Mac. The most practical conversion targets are PDF, TXT, or HTML. Converting to TXT strips out the formatting and attachment references but provides universal text readability. Converting to PDF or HTML preserves the chat bubble layout better, though extracting embedded media might require the original software. Converting .ICHAT files directly is notoriously difficult. Because Apple continuously updates its internal frameworks and keeps the format proprietary, standard online converters often fail to parse the binary or formatted plist data. Often, only the original Apple software can properly read or export the structured data. If our analysis detects the underlying plist text or embedded elements, viewing or partial conversion may still be possible without needing a Mac.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ICHAT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert ICHAT file to TEXT, TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX, MD, MARKDOWN or LOG, you can use Apple Messages or similar software from the "Chat Conversation Log Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to ICHAT, try Apple Messages or another comparable tool in the "Chat Conversation Log Storage" category.
The ICHAT Converter Story
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our ICHAT converter.